Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-09-02
COUNTRY VERSUS CITY.
A Rustic Lad on the SidewaIk-A Cit,
Boy in the Country.

A Rustic Lad on the SidewaIk-A City
Boy in the Country.
When the country chap enters on the
sidewalks of a city it astonishes him, and
at the same moment irritates him to hear
q. remark from a dapper youth to the
effect: "Hullo, countryr' He can't for
the life of him see what there is in his ap-
pearance that suggests that he is from the
country. His cowhide boots, his clothes
of hue that suggest the home dye pot,
and cut which recalls past genera
ton; the stoop in his shoulders indicative
of toll; his queer hat and long, unkempt
hair do not present themselves to him as
being at all odd or out of the way. He
does not believe that there is anything in
his appearance that is unlike the city
chaps. 1t is simply an unwarranted in
suit.
ssYou shet up, gol darn yep is his reply
tc the impertinence.
Then another city boy joins the first,
and then three more. They form around
the visitor, first at a safe distance, and re-
peat the offensive "Countryl'' "Coun-
tryl'' One holder than the other makes
snatch at his VISITORS hat, and he in re-
turn launches out his big cowhide boot
and catches the little assailant in a ten
der place. He bowls with pain, and then
the others attack the countryman en-
masse. They hit him with chunks of
wood. They pelt him with Jumps Of dirt.
They charge on him in ones, twos, threes
and smite him in the back, on his coun-
tenance. They trip him up and otherwise
maltreat him till the racket attracts
citizen with a cane and a constable's COM
mission, who chases away the mob.
AS result there is eternal ennity be-
tween city and country. The city boy
that ventures into the country is liable to
get hit with stone or a rotten apple, be-
sides being constantly jibed at for his ap-
pearance. He is put through ''course
of sprouts" Of great variety.
When nature was engaged in the manu-
facture of "bumblebees" she made two
kinds, alike in appearance, save that she
painted the practical end of one bright yell
low and that of the other deep black. The
former is pretty and harmless; the latter
is not SO pretty, but makes up for it in the
possession of a lance that it uses with con-
Summate skill.
1t was fun to initiate the city boy into
hunting bumblebees in connection with
assuring him that you knew plant whose
Juice rubbed on the hands would turn the
sting of a bee. The country boy rubs his
palms with the white juice of the milk
weed, and then demonstrates it's value to his
credulous visitor. He hunts among the bull
thistles till he finds bumblebee with the
yellow caisson, and boldly clutches him in
his hand. Then the city boy must try it;
milkweed juice is applied, and then the
crafty country f1end steers" him against
bull thistle in which sits and sups bee
with the nigrescent attachment. He
grasps it gingerly, and instantly drops it
with a shrek of pain, and convulsively
shakes his hand as he twists about in
agony.
A nettle bush affords the country lad
opportunity to amuse his city visitor.
'sGo and shake that bush there, and you'll
hear bees boiler" He grasps it, shakes
it vigorously, and a moment later it is
himself which he hears ''holler," and not
the bees. To induce the untutored city
boy to climb up bush to get sight of the
eggs in "crow's nest' is popular
method of getting the visitor in commu-
nication with a residence of hornet. In
walking through the woods one would
sometimes encounter the young of a well
known animal, and which had the ap-
pearance Of kitten. To point out the
''kitten," and induce the city innocent to
go and pick it up, was not an uncommon
occurrence. I have seen several of these
animals thus picked up, but never saw
an instance in which they were held for
any great length of time
Another little diversion in the interests
of the visitor from the city was to in
veigle him to go in swimming, and then
deluge his shirt with that leguminous di-
abolish, acowiteh." ALI the country
boys, when they go swimming, dry them
selves with their shirts. The city boy,
following their example, would intensity
the torture of the application.
The country boy had his revenges.-
"Poliuto' in Chicago Times.